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Unicef warned ahead of a summit introducing new Government legislation, that while the rate of female genital mutilation and child marriage has fallen over the past three decades, population increase in developing nations alone could reverse this trend if "intensive action" is not introduced.

The numbers tell us we must accelerate our efforts. And let's not forget that these numbers represent real lives.

While these are problems of a global scale, the solutions must be local, driven by communities, families and girls themselves to change mindsets and break the cycles that perpetuate FGM and child marriage. We can't let the staggering numbers numb us - they must compel us to act.

The Prime Minister has called to end the practice of female genital mutilation and forced marriages "once and for all", as new legislation is due to be unveiled by the Government at a summit in London.

All girls have the right to live free from violence and coercion, without being forced into marriage or the lifelong physical and psychological effects of female genital mutilation.

Abhorrent practices like these, no matter how deeply rooted in societies, violate the rights of girls and women across the world, including here in the UK.

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Parents who fail to prevent their daughter being subjected to female genital mutilation will face prosecution under new legislation to be unveiled by the Government at a summit in London.

New measures aimed at ending FGM and forced marriage to be addressed at summit Credit: Patrick Pleul/DPA/Press Association Images

A £1.4 million FGM Prevention Programme for survivors and those at risk of the practice are among a raft of plans to be announced by Prime Minister David Cameron at the Girl Summit, which is being co-hosted by the Government and Unicef.

The measures to combat FGM and forced marriage in the UK and abroad come as Unicef warns advances made in tackling them in the developing world could be reversed if the pace of action is not increased.

Controlling the lives and bodies of young women through female genital mutilation has no place in modern Britain, the chief executive and general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing said. Dr Peter Carter added:

The RCN has worked with the Government on the development of training and guidance to help equip frontline staff with the skills they need to tackle this most sensitive of issues.

Nurses are dedicated to protecting their young female patients from this harm and will continue to support any initiatives that aim to do so.

The UK Government will be introducing new training and guidance for front-line public sector workers to help recognise the signs of female genital mutilation, the Deputy Prime Minister is due to tell a summit today.

Female genital mutilation is one of the oldest and the most extreme ways in which societies have sought to control the lives and bodies of generations of young women and girls.

Without the right knowledge, skills and experience, people feel like they don't have the cultural understanding and authority to even talk about this practice honestly, never mind intervene when they're worried someone is vulnerable.